Metsola to Ufa and other Mayday transfers

Salavat Yulaev has welcomed 29-year-old goaltender Juha Metsola, who has departed Amur Khabarovsk and signed up for two years with the Ufa team. There was further good news for Salavat Yulaev fans when former Edmonton, Vancouver and Dallas defenseman Philip Larsen agreed a new, two-year deal at the club, and he is joined by a D-man from Metallurg Magnitogorsk, two-time Gagarin Cup winner Sergei Tereshchenko, who has signed on for two years, plus 19-year-old defenseman Mark Rubinchik, who spent the past two seasons in the WHL with the Saskatoon Blades. At the other end, the Ufa offense has been strengthened by the addition of three forwards: one from CSKA - 30-year-old Vladimir Zharkov, once of the New Jersey Devils, on a two-year contract, and two from Avangard - 28-year-old Pyotr Khokhryakov on a two-year contract and 28-year-old Dmitry Kugryshev on a one-year deal.

Sibir Novosibirsk has signed two Finnish international forwards - 26-year-old Julius Junttila and 30-year-old Jukka Peltola – as well as 27-year-old French international forward Charles Bertrand, and re-signed 32-year-old Canadian-English goalie Danny Taylor, who has played in the KHL for Dinamo Minsk and Medvescak as well as Sibir, and has NHL experience with the Los Angeles Kings, Calgary Flames and Ottawa Senators. Later in the day came news of another new arrival in Novosibirsk, 24-year-old forward Danil Romantsev, who despite his age has already played in the KHL for four clubs: Amur, Lokomotiv, Neftekhimik and Ugra.

Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk has enlisted the services of 29-year-old Finnish international forward Mikael Ruohomaa.

Spartak Moscow and SKA Saint Petersburg have agreed a trade in which 21-year-old forward Alexander Dergachyov return to SKA in exchange for financial compensation. The Petersburg club also paid a transfer fee to Amur for two forwards: 24-year-old Alexei Byvaltsev and 27-year-old Oleg Li.

CSKA paid financial compensation to bring 20-year-old defenseman Artyom Chmykhov back from HC Sochi.

Another player heading to Moscow from HC Sochi is 23-year-old defenseman Ruslan Pedan, who has moved to Spartak in a trade which sees 28-year-old forward Artyom Podshendyalov leave he Red-and-Whites and head south to the Black Sea. Spartak also welcomed a new goaltender, 25-year-old Andrei Makarov, who in 2014-15 made his sole NHL appearance for the Buffalo Sabres, and whose most recent club was Neftekhimik.

Metallurg Magnitogorsk has signed 28-year-old Swedish defenseman Maksim Matushkin on a one-year deal, and waved goodbye to 25-year-old Czech forward Tomas Filippi, who has signed up for a year with Amur Khabarovsk.

Jokerit has agreed two-way, two-year deals with two 18-year-olds: defenseman Roope Reini and forward Aleksi Halme; while in non-transfer news, USA goalie Ryan Zapolski and Swedish forward John Norman have each signed on for two more years with the Helsinki team.

Barys Astana has signed 23-year-old Czech goaltender Dominik Hrachovina on a two-year deal. Meanwhile, his compatriot and fellow goalie, 26-year-old Libor Kasik, has agreed to spend two seasons at Amur Khabarovsk.

Last but not least, the champions: Ak Bars Kazan has paid financial compensation to bring three former players back to Kazan: from Ugra, 23-year-old goaltender Timur Bilyalov and 22-year-old forward Artyom Mikheyev, and, from Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod, 22-year-old forward Maxim Lazarev.